The purpose with this paper is to discuss how social movements have developed European resilience by addressing social issues, and how they thereby changed perspectives, public political agendas, and the course of history.
Resiliency of societies is a multi-perspective approach that goes beyond classic sociological concepts of crisis and change, structure and agency. In selected case studies, the role of social movements as turning points and key forces of social change will be scrutinized and discussed. The selected cases encompass the Resistance movement in Denmark (1940-45), the anti-nuclear movement in the 1970s and 1980s, and the movement against immigration in 1980s and 1990s. How did such movements change societal agendas and move from periphery of attention to the center stage?
The distinction between restorative and transformative movements will be discussed. To be taken into consideration is also the role of the movements for the coherence of society, but also how they might create divisions and splintering social development. The paper will discuss what characterizes movements that bridge social divisions and create new solidarity bonds beyond the crisis. Distinction has to be made between movements that become all-inclusive and movements that aim at attaining all-coverage without creating fierce opposition.
The paper will discuss whether a specific European heritage is embedded in such movements and the European lessons to be learned.
